


The Great Escape

by Random_Midnight



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben’s POV, F/M, I’ll fix these later, Kylo’s POV, Lives in California, Possible smut, Reylo Modern AU, Reylo fluff, Reylo road trip, Slow Burn, Young Ben Solo, high school aged reylo, leia tries not to hate ben, maz has a diner, millenium falcon is a car, other sequel friends, reylo cuddles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 16:54:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Midnight/pseuds/Random_Midnight
Summary: High school aged Ben needs an escape - from the grief, doubt and turmoil that swirls inside him, and the feeling that the world is crashing down around him. Ben and Rey embark on a cross-country journey in the beat-up Millennium Falcon, and as the days pass Rey realizes her affections for Ben are growing.





	1. Chapter 1

It was not just any day. Today was when I would escape. Pursue my dreams of living with Rey, and leaving once and for all.

The clamor of this horrible high school, passing period, arose without fail. The perfect time to ask her. We had always been friends, but a friendship had blossomed into a passion. I could help her, and she could heal me.

I was avoided for my demeanor; biting words, insufferable sarcasm, tendency to break things in sudden fits of rage. But I refrained in her presence. She was different, could relate to the neglect that shaped me. We had both grown up alone.

I approached her. It was now or nothing. My voice was a hurried whisper. “Rey. I want you to come with me. I’m running away tonight.”

Her look was one of admiration, unmistakably etched on her determined features, soft cheeks. Her mouth opened, slightly. “Really? You’re leaving tonight? But Ben . . . I - I want us to be here.”

“I can't stay any longer. I can't stay there.”

“Come to my place.” 

Her place was Unkar Plutt's grimy motel, and she paid for her indefinite stay by stealing and lying for him, but I didn't mention that.

“No, Rey. They - at least Snoke - know about you. They're going to track us down, drag me back there. You know that. We need to get out of here. My mom's gone on business, and the Falcon’s there. We can take it. Might need some tuning up, though.”

“I can do that.” Her face was anxious, eager to please. In the blindness of love, she was deceived by my flimsy ploy.

Rey was once repelled by my striking features, awkward height, my jet black hair and pale white skin. A permanent scowl. I was plagued by ignorance and arrogance, and often taunted. But she had an effect on me, softening the facade I had built to keep out my emotions. 

I used to hate when she called me Ben.

Rey soothed me. She eased from me the harsh memories of the past, the horrors of Snoke, a murderer who wanted to groom me as his apprentice, the neglectfulness of my mother, the recent death of my father, that time my uncle had tried to kill me in my sleep. They weren't any better than Snoke. Rey was my only light.

I set out for my father’s house after school, Rey stopping at the dingy motel to retrieve her few possessions, and we planned to rendezvous by the river at five.

The house was deserted as usual. It boasted my mother's status; sleek and impressive, custom built with lavish accommodations. all the latest conveniences. The facade conveyed both power and refinement, a delicate balance of harsh angles and warm lights. 

I hated this place.

I hastened to the door, the recognition system scanning my iris. My eye ached from the laser, but I couldn’t dwell on it.

The large front door slid open. I was surprised at the fact that my mother hadn’t taken me out of the system yet, considering the hate she had for her maniac son. I crossed the threshold while I could, and jogged through the grand entrance hall. The house was deserted as usual, but for the occasional waitstaff.

My mother was seldom here anymore, leaving increasingly often on “business trips.” I couldn’t blame her. All I wished was that it could all be reversed, mom and dad back together, loving each other again. Loving me. 

 

After navigating a complex series of hallways, I reached my own room. A spacious master suite, it featured an attached living area, substantial closet, and overlooked the manicured garden. The rooms were kept spotless by a group of service staff that I had known since birth. Every fixture was specially chosen by my personal stylist, and all adhered to a strict color palette of black, grey and bloodred. 

But I rarely spent any time here. I couldn't bear to stay long, trying to live with the screams that still floated in the air.

I dug into my private cabinet, tearing away the wall panel that concealed it, and grabbed my keys and credit cards. But there was something else - something more important. A keychain with a photo of my parents embedded inside. It was a battered metal chain with gold dice on each end, but only the left cube held a photo. I clicked the locket open, transported to the past. My mother and father smiled from their tiny window, the happiness of their wedding day coming across even through the still frame. 

I glimpsed them young and free, full of love and joy. Willing to sacrifice anything for each other. Finally I understood that feeling of devotion, the steady burn of undying emotion. I closed the locket as tears prickled my eyes, and buried it deep in my backpack. 

 

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” I whispered. A lump was already forming in my throat, and I felt the familiar sting of tears. “I won't betray her, too.”

 

By the time I pulled up near the river in my dad's old car, Rey was already waiting. I wasn't surprised - she never failed to be prompt.

“Hey, Rey,” I said, stepping out of the beat-up silver station wagon, into the brisk air, and giving her a smile. The Millenium Falcon was ancient yet reliable, and I wouldn't let Mom get rid of it. The air was too thick with memories, fragments of a happy past.

The sun hung low in the sky,  
casting long, contorted shadows. Rey’s form was drowned in a halo of faint golden light.

“Ben!” Rey turned my direction from her place on a rotting old bench. “Doesn't the Falcon need some work?” She grinned. Immediately I fell into a stupor, and my legs wobbled, but those thoughts were replaced by guilt.

“No, I was bluffing. I just wanted to be with you. Sorry I wasn't here earlier.” I walked to the bench and sat by her side, breathing out all the stress of the day. I planted a kiss on her soft cheek. She didn’t mind.

“It's ok, Ben.” She rested her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her as we watched the sun sink below the hills.

___

‘Greetings, Ben Solo.’ He said my name with a sneer. ‘Welcome to the First Order. I'm Mr. Snoke. I am a friend. Pleased to make your . . . acquaintance.’ 

Snoke’s voice was a hoarse wheeze. His beady snake-like eyes delved into my soul, seemingly reading my every thought. The man was bald, elderly and wrinkled, and his skin was eerily disfigured. It was stretched and hollowed in strange places, and the hand he extended was long and bony. He was everything Hux had described. 

'Have a seat.’  
___

‘Do it. Don't be a fool.’ Years later, Snoke hissed in my ear as I stood over my father's peaceful form. Sweating, I gripped a sharp cleaver. My heart raced. I couldn't kill him. 

'Daddy,’ I whispered. My voice cracked. I grimaced at the thought of what Snoke wanted me to do.

My mother was awake now, alerted by even the faint sound. But she only noticed my face through the darkness, not the horrible weapon I bore. Not the atrocity I was to commit. She sat up, brown hair trailing down her back.  
‘Ben? What's wrong?’ she asked groggily. 

I paused, feeling my eyes well with tears. Her face was full of concern. I had to tell the truth. ‘Mom. I - there’s -’

But I was harshly interrupted by the commands of Snoke. 'Do it for the First Order, boy! Prove your devotion to bringing peace and prosperity to the universe!’

I hesitated. Just as I had as I held the flame to the wall of Uncle Luke's school. Just as I had before he urged me to kick the cat. I couldn't put the blade to my father. But Snoke's audio device was forever embedded in my ear, forever insisting that I push my conscience further and further.

And I remembered the first time he had talked to me. Told me there was a way to reverse the pain they had brought. 

Snoke had made me a monster. I had done these things for revenge, for the sweet feeling of inflicting pain on those who had betrayed me. I knew what Han thought of me. It was the same as uncle Luke. Yes, I was a monster. Now was the time to prove it.

‘ Mom - ’ I half sobbed, the word coming out as a choke.

‘ I will not hesitate to kill you, boy. DO IT! ’

‘ Ben-Ben? Tell me.’ she said, noticing my tears.

Hot, salty drops streamed down my face. My heart was rushing in my ears, blood was surging through my arms. ‘DADDY!’ I screamed as the cleaver went down onto his throat. 

My mother shrieked. 

 

This had turned my soul black. Now I would be Kylo.  
___

I shot up sweating, my head banging on the roof of the Falcon. “Daddy!” I panted, but then I saw Rey. My ears turned pink, and I hid my face. “Aw, shit. Sorry.” Rey kissed my cheek. 

I embraced her, but then pushed it away. It wasn’t her fault I was a brainwashed psychopath, someone who murdered his own father. It wasn’t her responsibility to deal with all those nights I was forced to relive it. “No, Rey. I don't need this. It's my fault. You shouldn’t have to do this.”

“Shhh,” she said, running her fingers through my hair soothingly. “It's ok. This is why we're here for each other. It's not you, Ben. It was Snoke.” Her voice turned low and serious. “I’ll kill that monster if I get the chance.”

Monster.

I held Rey close, clutching her like she would dissolve at any moment. She stroked my hair, and I kissed her lightly. It had been years since I had shared such affection with anyone. And then I knew. I saw it in her lustrous hazel eyes, felt it in her touch.

“I love you, Rey. I love you so much,” I whispered. As our foreheads touched, the world fell away. It was only her captivating hazel eyes, perfect lips, the light blush on her freckled cheeks. Flawless in every way. But I was scarred. I had no idea what she saw in me - but I was happy to have her heart.

“I love you too, Ben. I have for a long time. I want to be with you forever. We’ll kill Snoke. I promise.” Suddenly Rey gripped my face and kissed me fiercely, with a desperate passion. To my dismay, she soon pulled away. Rey smiled, eyes bright with a mischievous glint. “So where to next, Ben-Ben?”

I smirked, shaking my head. “Shut up.” Warmth flowed to the tips of my ears. “We're going to California. My dad -”

Rey gasped, immediately giddy, and kissed me yet again. Breathless, she exclaimed, “Oh, Ben! Really? Are we going to the ocean? Wow! Let's go!” She shed the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, scrambled over the backseat, and started the ignition, anxious to begin our journey. I clambered into the passenger seat, folding my legs into the car. I preferred to drive, but I allowed Rey the control of driving the Falcon.

As we flew down the highway, the battered radio blasting Journey, I couldn't help but think back.... My dad had loved this car. It still pained me to think of him, the father who I had loved on and off.

 

Every week, long before the time of a maid to do the shopping, we picked up the groceries, and walked down to the corner store after for a scoop of ice cream. Mom wouldn’t want us to ruin our appetites, right before dinner. But the secrecy of this event was somehow appealing, the joyous exhilaration of getting away with something I knew was wrong. This nature I must have inherited from my father. Illegal was kind of Dad’s style.

 

I gazed upon the glowing case of colorful cartons, face pressed to the glass. My eyes swept over deep chocolate, blazing orange, lime green. 

With no hesitation, I had my heart set on chocolate fudge, the creamy tub of cocoa beckoning me, like it did every time my dad had a cone. If it was good enough for him, I thought, then it was definitely good enough for me.

“What kind do you want, bud?” My dad asked, though he already knew the answer. My mouth watered at the sight of these forbidden treats.

“Chocolate fudge!” I replied. Dad half-smiled, ordered two cones, and handed the cashier some crumpled bills.

I watched with wonder as the ice cream was scooped from a large bucket, pressed into a waffle cone, and placed in my waiting hands. My eyes widened at the sheer volume of dessert. I was always proud to get the same amount as Daddy.

“What do you say?” He reminded, gently laying a hand on my shoulder.

I grinned up at the clerk, wielding a giant scoop of dripping ice cream. “Thank you!” I then dug into my ice cream, smearing chocolate all over my tiny face.

My dad smiled, not bothering to wipe my cheeks. “That’ll make you big and strong. C'mon, kid. Let's go eat these before your mother suspects anything.”

“Big and strong like you, daddy!” I said, walking by his side and flexing my nonexistent biceps as I managed to devour my ice cream. Han ruffled my hair.

By the time we were around the corner, the ice cream was always gone.

 

When we returned to the apartment and unloaded the groceries, my mother would only smile, noticing the chocolate dried on my cheeks and the grin plastered to my face. “How did my boys do at the supermarket? Didn't get up to anything mischievous?”

I made my best innocent face, crossing my arms heroically. “It was great, Mommy. We got everything on your list.”

My mother and father exchanged a knowing glance, and she would smile. “Hmm . . . you even got all the chocolate, didn't you?”

Still clueless, I replied. “Yep, all the chocolate, Mommy. Oh, we even had chocolate -” 

“Shhh!” My dad cut in, feigning urgency. “Don't let your mother know about the, you know, ice cream.” He winked, but then covered his mouth comically. “Oops.”

“Daddy!” I would say, and my ears would turn pink. I crossed my arms and hunched over in a pout. “That was our secret!”

“Oh, so you wouldn't let Mommy eat ice cream with us?” Dad countered.

This one threw me through a loop. “What? I love you too, Mommy. It's just our, well, special time.”

“Daddy and I have special time, too,” Leia said, and they engaged in an exaggerated kiss.

“Gross!” I shrieked, and ran from the kitchen.

I'm sure my parents smiled.

 

“Are you thinking about them?” Rey asked abruptly, jolting me back to reality. The radio was silent. I realized that I had been staring into the distance, my eyes glassy. I quickly composed myself.

“Yeah.”

Rey was quiet, her face kind, waiting for me to continue. She was being awfully understanding for someone who never even knew her parents.

“It’s just, they were never around. I have to dwell on the little things.”

“What about all that stuff about letting the past die, killing it if you have to?”

“I don't know,” I said. “That was Snoke talking. I told him I killed my father, to prove myself, and you know what he said?”

Rey shook her head, eyebrows raised.

“He said yes, and the deed split my spirit to the bone. And it did. I still can't really breathe because of that. That was when I knew it had gone too far. You saved me from that, Rey.”

“You know I will always save you, Ben. I knew there was still conflict and regret in you . . . I knew Snoke hadn't decided your fate.” 

The lonely fields and distant mountains were interrupted by a tiny roadside diner, and Rey pointed.

“Look, breakfast!” My stomach ached for a good meal.

She pulled the Falcon up in front of what seemed like a time capsule from the 50s - A shiny teal building with chrome trim, a bright neon sign and glowing windows. Maz’s Diner.

A bell tinkled as we entered the deserted place, all red leather booths, shiny edged tables and a jukebox in the corner.

“How can I help you two? Sit down, they’re all open.” A petite woman with thick glasses who looked to be in her sixties smiled kindly, gesturing to an empty booth. Maz, her name tag read. She had certainly maintained this place that was her namesake. “I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said, and hurried into the kitchen. 

“Thank you,” Rey gasped, rushing to the nearest table and flinging down her sweatshirt. I followed, stricken with equal starvation. Anyone who knew me knew to stay out of my way, and Rey did so. Sort of.

“Oh, is my Ben-Ben hungry?” She teased, and I could just feel the heat that rushed to my ears. She brushed my bangs out of the way and made to kiss me across the table, but I was too grumpy and embarrassed to respond.

I jerked away, but managed an incomprehensible smile. Rey was so adorable when she looked at me like that, the familiar sparkle in her hazel eyes. Eyes mossy and gold like light filtering through the leaves, and deep enough to lose myself in . . . A forest where I could stay forever . . .

“Ben?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some mood swings! This one isn't quite as long as chapter 1, but I just wanted to get it out. Hope you enjoy!

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, anxiously staring at the pickup counter, and listening to the echoing clatter of dishes in the kitchen, the food arrived. 

“Thanks,” I snarled at Maz as she set the steaming plates on the table. Anger surged in me as it had when my father’s hand came down on my mother’s cheek. My hands clenched in fists at this injustice. The food had taken too long, and Rey was starving -

“Ben.” Rey laid a hand on my shoulder, looking up at Maz apologetically. I snapped out of the trance, kicking myself for acting like that. There was no reason to be angry, and no excuse for my near outburst. I frowned at the floor.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. There was no need,” I muttered. 

Maz narrowed her eyes. “Look at me, child.” I did, and what I saw in her eyes was an ancient soul, wise and complex, deeper than the ocean. Eyes that I knew, from somewhere.  
“I can see your suffering. You mustn’t dwell on the pain of the past. The belonging you seek is not behind you. It is ahead.”

 

With that she walked back into the kitchen, leaving us with our thoughts and two large orders of French toast. I dug into the spongy bread, drizzled with thick, buttery syrup and a snowy coat of powdered sugar, too famished to pay her peculiar words any mind. For once I almost devoured a meal as fast as Rey, washing it down with piping hot black coffee.

Rey grimaced as I guzzled the blessedly bitter drink, shoveling down some more toast. “How can you drink that?” She asked disgustedly. Her face was covered in sticky syrup, even the tip of her nose.

I bit back a burst of laughter and grinned.”Uh, it tastes good? It’s dark like my soul? I don’t know. You have some syrup -”

“No, stop!” Rey chuckled, smiling as I went after her with a napkin. My mother had always insisted on hygiene, and Rey was no exception.

“Rey, you eat like an orphan,” I joked, but she only shook her head, her face turning somber.

Immediately I knew I had made a mistake.

“They’re coming back,” she said faintly, launching into the only topic we had disagreed on since becoming friends. I cared about Rey too much to let her hope for something so impossible, something that she knew in her soul had never been true.

“Rey, you know that they never cared about you,” I tried, my voice dripping with contempt for whoever would decide to abandon someone like Rey. But her eyes welling with tears made my heart ache. I couldn’t watch someone so pure, so beautiful, experience such pain. My lip trembled as I held her closer, brushing away the tears.

“Liar,” Rey pushed me away. “What were you thinking, Ben? Why would you joke about that?”

“When have I lied to you? About something like this?” Rey only glowered at me, her face blotchy. But then I knew. Maz’s advice. “You can’t focus on the past, Rey. We’re leaving to start a new life. Away from Snoke, and my parents, and Unkar Plutt. Remember what Maz said.”

Rey looked up at me, her eyes still gleaming with tears. In them I saw the truth, that she knew in her heart her parents would never return. “I- I guess. I mean, your parents were never around, and you’re my best friend.”

“Yes. You can survive without those - people - who left you. I care about you, and we have each other.”

Rey threw her arms around my neck. Finally I hadn’t messed it up, I thought, engulfing her in a hug and inhaling that unique Rey scent. She still loved me. And that was all that mattered.

 

The day was long and lonely. We passed through stretches of dark forest, and the light that shone through the leaves reminded me of Rey. I talked to her about everything and nothing, telling her tales of California vistas, and the sight of a vast ocean that sparkled in the sun. My mother had taken me there, once . . .

 

The sea. That was what I saw, stretched out forever beyond us, crashing onto the golden sand in a display of power and beauty. Seagulls soared and called overhead. A salty breeze ruffled my mop of hair, and the bright sun hung in the impossibly blue sky. The water glimmered like a giant coin. I had never seen anything like it. I gazed, open-mouthed, at the sight of something so beautiful.

My mother swept her hands out, gesturing to the coastline that stretched for miles. This was more than just a business trip where I was allowed to tag along. 

There was something safe and lulling about the waves, and the fact that we could escape to this place. Away from him. 

“Welcome to California, Ben-Ben.”

“What- wow. Thank you,” I gasped, stunned enough to ignore the childish nickname. My height barely surpassed Leia’s shoulder, but I tore down to the ocean, grinning from ear to ear, and splashed in the waves for hours.

I wanted Rey to share that happiness.

 

The sun was low, and the Falcon was running on mere fumes. I squinted, scanning the road for a gas station, or at least a sign, but my eyes were met with only empty wilderness. The shadows of the forest cast premature darkness on the winding road, and I pulled the lever for light. Once. Twice. My jerks became more urgent with each pull, the lever clanking into the groove. Nothing.

“Rey.” My voice shook. “I think we’ve got an issue.” 

“Is it the brights?” She asked, level and calm. She didn’t crack under pressure.

“What- How- How did you know that?”

She pointed to a tiny blinking light near the fuel gauge, a pinprick I never would have noticed. “The warning light, Ben.” She sighed then, a breath of exasperation.

“Well, you’re the one who taught me to drive! Not my fault you skipped that part!” I steered blindly, hoping there wasn’t a sudden turn, or we didn’t careen off the road into the depths of the forest. Maybe the fog light was working? Where was the button for that? I was growing more anxious every second, and if we didn’t find gas or somewhere to stop soon, I didn’t want to think about the consequences.

“Where are your powers of deduction, Ben?”

Before I could retort, my phone buzzed in my pocket, as if this car crisis wasn’t enough. I pulled it out and pressed receive. “Hello?”

It was the raspy whisper of Snoke, of course. “Fucking God!” I raised my voice, slapping the dashboard with a resounding bang. This was too much.

Rey jumped. “Ben! What the hell was that?” 

I hung up the phone. If he had my number, then he knew where I was. Shit. I had to get rid of the phone, now. His people could hack into anything, and might even have been listening to our heated exchange. Snoke could take advantage of our weakness, and then Rey . . . 

“It’s Snoke. He has my number.”

“I thought you changed it? To avoid that happening?”

I rolled down the window, furiously rotating the squealing handle. The phone flew out of my hand and cracked on the asphalt. Good riddance. 

“Ben Solo, pull over this instant! You’re being insane!” I did so, and Rey pushed me away from the steering wheel. “We’ll have to walk,” she said as the Falcon sputtered to silence, the engine finally dying out. If we were screwed before, we were totally screwed now.

“Crap,” I muttered, stepping into the biting cold and slamming the door behind me. “Rey, we can’t just leave the car.” True night had fallen in the forest. It was so dark now that I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, let alone Rey. 

“Well, we’ll have to. There’s no other option than to-”

Rey stopped. There was a rustle in the leaves, and a flash in the underbrush as she clicked on a penlight. “Rey,” I half whispered, my voice almost frantic. “What is that?”

“Shh.” She scanned the road, sweeping the light across the forest. Nothing.

The sound was closer now. My heart pounded and my mind raced. The last thing I wanted was to end up dead with a stolen car in the middle of the forest. Why had we taken the back roads? What were we even doing here? And how would I explain to my mother?

There was a sound, I held my breath, and then-

A cat appeared on the road. 

That was why I had freaked out.

It was harmless, rather round, and white with orange spots. Rey went up to it, scratching its head. “Look,” she said, focusing the light on a nametag. “BB8? That’s a weird name. I would call the number on the tag, but someone-” Rey glared at me - “threw their phone out the window.” 

I scowled, but didn’t respond. “Chances are he lives around here. Let’s follow it,” I suggested gruffly. It was worth a chance.

Rey shrugged. “Alright. What the hell.”

BB8 seemed eager to lead us, and knew the road better than Rey and I. He was deceptively slow, and we had to run to keep up. 

Rey smiled in the faint moonlight, her messy buns bouncing with every step. I focused on her voice, to distract from the cold that was seeping into my skin. “Who would have thought we’d be doing this?” She said. “Jogging through a forest. At midnight. Following a cat.”

It was impossible, how she could stay upbeat in the worst of situations. I inhaled as my stomach grumbled, fighting to stay calm. “Rey. Please don’t talk to me.”

That made her laugh. It was infuriating, and beautiful. That sound was all I could listen to, trying to ignore the pain of my stiff legs, exhaustion, and the faint gnawing of fear that maybe it was too late. That phone hadn’t crunched on the concrete too far away from here . . . Maybe Snoke could still track us down . . .

I jumped at the sudden roar of a passing car, the headlights blinding as I stumbled into the weeds on the side of the road. I stepped back, my foot crashing down into nothing. I desperately flailed, falling backwards, down through the air and into the darkness, with nothing to hold. I scrambled, grasping for a tree, or anything, but the leaves that covered the slope slipped under my fingers. A piercing pain scraped across my face, there was a thump as the back of my head collided with something hard, and blood was rushing into my eyes. Blood that mixed with tears, and sweat, as I tumbled down the hill. Where was Rey? 

“Be careful, Ben!” Rey grabbed my arm, hauling me up to her with unexpected strength. She was petite, but wiry. “God, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Rey shined a pen light into my face, checking for scrapes, and that only added to the faint throbbing at the back of my skull. I squinted and swiped it away. “Ben, stay still!” She exclaimed, focusing the beam on my nose. I felt the blood gushing where my face was cut open, and she was trying to wipe it away with her sleeve. I winced as fresh waves of agony leached through the gash.

“I’m fine Rey, I swear,” I insisted, stumbling over the words, but Rey was resolute. Her brow furrowed in concern as she looked me over, those green forest-eyes shining in the penlight. I was fine, the blood would stop, but hair was falling into her face, and I had the strangest compulsion to brush it away.

I stroked her cheek, with the lightest touch, my rough fingers caressing the soft skin. I smoothed the loose strand behind her ear, and Rey’s eyes widened in surprise. The light clattered into the dirt.  
“Ben,” she murmured, and the palest shade of pink colored her cheeks. Driven by desperation, I could only go on. 

I couldn't take her beauty anymore. I gripped her face and engulfed her lips in my own, exploring her mouth with my tongue and devouring her face with a primal instinct. She responded with enthusiasm, her tongue parting my lips and licking until my mouth was raw. Rey's fingers snaked into my bloody hair, pulling me into her as my hands roamed her back. My heart fluttered inside me, and it was almost overwhelming as I surfaced, gulping in the dewey night air.

“Ben, no,” Rey gasped.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I’ll post another chapter of this eventually. Sorry if it’s not any good, I’m new at AO3 and fanfic in general. Hope you enjoyed! It’s mostly just a fluffy story, so if that’s not your thing, that’s ok.


End file.
